Fantasy football projections, Week 9: Panthers-Rams featuring Cam Newton, Kelvin Benjamin, Todd Gurley, more

The Week 9 matchup between the Carolina Panthers and the Los Angeles Rams features teams that have both disappointed in 2016. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.

Cam Newton didn’t do much for fantasy owners considering the Panthers scored 30 points in a win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8. The fact is the game flow didn’t call for Newton to take over. Running back Jonathan Stewart took care of things in the red zone and Carolina’s defense also put points on the board. As a result, Newton finished the game what 212 passing yards and no touchdowns. He’ll be much better against the Rams in Week 9. He’ll use his legs to pick up some first downs and a multi-touchdown game is within reach. Combine that with the fact the Panthers need every win they can get and Newton should be in top form in Los Angeles.

Hopefully an inspired performance from Newton can help get wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin back into the end zone. Benjamin managed to collect 73 receiving yards against the Cardinals. That’s the good news. The bad news is he caught just two passes. That’s what happens when you get blanketed by Patrick Peterson. Benjamin should have more success against the Rams. They rank near the bottom of the league in terms of giving up fantasy points to the wide receiver position. Benjamin should be a solid contributor in Week 9.

Running back Todd Gurley’s mediocre 2016 season continues. He had just 57 yards rushing against the New York Giants in Week 7 prior to the team’s bye week. The Rams simply can’t get anything positive going at the quarterback position. Fans and pundits alike are calling for Jared Goff to finally make his NFL debut. For now Coach Jeff Fisher is sticking with Case Keenum. Until that changes and we see improved play in the Rams’ passing game, Gurley is going to have the deck stacked against him. It’s tough to trust that the best player on the team can surpass his projections when no one else around him is doing much of anything. Counting on Gurley to break through in Week 9 is like hoping for a minor miracle right now.

Hopefully wide receiver Brian Quick can give Gurley some help. Quick has been targeted 14 times in the last two games. That’s more looks than he’s seen in the previous four games combined. In Week 7 against the Giants he caught four passes for 92 yards. Only one team has given up more points to wide receivers than the Carolina Panthers this season. Don’t be surprised if Quick finds 100 yards and finds the end zone against the Panthers in Week 9. Somebody has to do the scoring.